|
|
|
 |
IRELAND |
|
|
|
 |
 |
Adjudication of the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland:
Complaint:
Poster advertising for FCUK was the subject of objections. The poster featured two women in a fighting posture, one wearing a bikini and the other wearing a mini-skirt and top, with the wording "French Connection. Fashion V Style". The complainants considered the advertisement to be offensive. One complainant felt that the advertisement was encouraging random acts of violence and considered the advertisers were being provocative just for the sake of it. Another complainant objected to the use of the combination of sex and violence and felt that the advertisers were trying to use the shock effect of female violence to sell their product.
Response:
The advertisers stated that they were surprised that people had judged their advertisement in such severe terms. Their intention was to dramatise a metaphorical conflict between style and fashion in a comedic and engaging manner and not to cause alarm or incite violence. The advertisement was meant to be understood in a purely light-hearted way; its concept was derived from a famous Yves Saint Laurent quote “Fashion fades. Style is eternal”. The work was conceived in conjunction with “Fashion versus Style”, French Connection’s TV campaign, running in the UK, which is a parody of recent cult action films. The outdoor advertising was intended to further support this comic parody. It was so highly stylised as to be quite unrealistic and they do not believe that it is likely to promote violence or said to condone it. The banner advertisement featured models wearing a representative sample of the range of their Spring/Summer collection. They had worked with CAP in the UK to ensure that their advertising met with guidelines for outdoor advertising and had received approval prior to the campaign going live. It was not their intention to cause offence or promote or incite violence and they felt they took all the recommended steps when creating the campaign.
Conclusion:
Complaints Not Upheld
The Code of Advertising Standards requires that an advertisement should contain nothing that condones or is likely to provoke violence or anti-social behaviour.
The Complaints Committee noted the response of the advertisers. While they expressed some concerns, they did not consider that the advertisement was in breach of the Code and in the circumstances did not uphold the complaints. They reminded agencies and advertisers; however, that approval from CAP in the UK did not mean that advertisements are automatically acceptable here.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
